By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
The Dowagiac freshmen and junior varsity basketball teams were defeated by visiting Battle Creek Central Friday night.
The Chieftain freshmen squad dropped a 46-26 decision to the Bearcats, while the junior varsity was defeated, 62-20.
Freshmen basketball
Dowagiac trailed 12-9 after one period of play, but was outscored 13-2 in the second quarter as Battle Creek Central opened up a 25-11 halftime advantage.
Neither team played well in the third quarter as the two schools combined for nine points.
Dowagiac trailed 31-14 heading into the final period.
The Chieftains were out-scored by the Bearcats, 15-12, in the final eight minutes.
Charles Mersereau led Dowagiac with nine points, while Ronnell Grady added eight points. Michael Castillo contributed four points.
JV basketball
Dowagiac got outscored 53-14 over the final three periods by Battle Creek Central Friday night.
The Chieftains played well in the opening eight minutes, trailing just 9-6 heading into the second quarter.
The Bearcats then outscored Dowagiac 13-6, 14-3 and 26-5 in the final three quarters.
Andrew Cuthbert led Dowagiac with five points. Tony Black and Seth Crowl chipped in with four points each.
Dowagiac travels to St. Joseph Tuesday night.